OB/GYN examinations are usually conducted with the patient lying supine in either a dorsal or modified lithotomy position on a dedicated pelvic examination table. The currently used examination tables are generally large, heavy, and designed to be kept in a fixed location. They are not easily transported from location to location; the immobile character of pelvic examination tables requires that patients be moved to the dedicated exam room and onto the table.
In the applicant's experience there is a deficiency in the existing and prior art wherein there are no lightweight portable pelvic exam tables or devices that can be carried from exam room to exam room and used easily in concert with existing hospital beds, exam tables or furniture.
In the applicant's experience, oftentimes gynecological examinations must be performed when a proper gynecological exam table is not available. In some cases, pillows or bedpans are used to elevate the patient's buttocks to simulate the lithotomy position. This is often uncomfortable for the patient and many times non-hygienic. Further the use of stacked rigid objects such as bedpans creates a safety hazard as the weight of the patient may cause the items to shift, dislodge or collapse. Without a gynecological exam table and without resorting to the aforementioned unsafe and possibly-septic options, the examiner must attempt to perform a pelvic exam while the patient is on a flat examination table or bed. This maintains the patient in a flat, supine orientation which makes the pelvic exam difficult or impossible to perform. Without the patient in a dorsal or modified lithotomy position, the examiner encounters more difficulty to view the anatomy of the patient and maintain and use the accompanying devices—speculums, swabs, lights, etc.—in a fashion that is comfortable for the patient and effective for the indicated procedure.
Although wheeled portable pelvic exam carts exist, they are still very large, heavy—approximately one-half the size of a medical bed—and expensive. Portable pelvic exam carts resemble small beds, and are moved on wheels from room to room. They are reportedly uncomfortable for the patient and practitioner to use. Also, because they are quite expensive, it makes it unlikely that a medical center or hospital to have more than one.
There is an OB/GYN chair disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,817. The chair disclosed in the patent is collapsible, intended to be mobile and is essentially a reclining folding chair. However, the chair is still a dedicated and bulky option. It is not intended to be used on top of an existing bed or table upon which the patient may already be laying. The chair still requires the patient to move from a bed and onto the dedicated device. This does not solve the problem posed by patients who are immobile. The chair also requires manipulation in order to unfold the chair and properly engage it for use. This requires extra steps before the device can be used, and can impose a safety hazard if it is not assembled correctly prior to use. Furthermore, this chair, when in use by a patient, holds her in a reclining position only a few feet from the ground—approximately the height of the seat of the chair. If this chair is used, the examiner would have to kneel or squat to perform the procedure. Overall this chair does not seem to address portability, ease of use and patient mobility in a similar manner as the present invention.
In the applicant's experience, there is a need for an OB/GYN examination device which is i) light-weight, ii) easily transportable by one person to the patient, iii) can be used on existing beds or tables, iv) is adapted to house necessary tools for examination procedures, v) requires little or no assembly prior to use and vi) is comfortable and safe for the patient. The device of the present invention is believed to accomplish all of the foregoing objectives.